Irish journal of medical science
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Most mediastinal parathyroid tumours lie within the thymus gland and may be retrieved when cervical thymectomy is carried out in the course of neck exploration for primary hyperparathyroidism (HPT). We report 4 patients, each of whom required sternotomy for removal of a true mediastinal parathyroid adenoma. ⋯ When localisation before initial exploration for HPT suggests a parathyroid tumour within the chest, consideration should be given to proceeding to sternotomy, at first operation if a comprehensive neck exploration, including cervical thymectomy, fails to uncover the adenoma. Uniquely, one of our patients underwent sternotomy for HPT when 23 weeks pregnant.
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Comparative Study
An audit of the effect of intravenous antibiotic treatment on spirometric measures of pulmonary function in cystic fibrosis.
This retrospective audit was undertaken to compare the efficacy of home intravenous (i.v.) antibiotic therapy, hospital i.v. antibiotic therapy and a combination of these 2 approaches, as determined by spirometric measures of lung function in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, each with an acute respiratory exacerbation. ⋯ Hospital i.v. antibiotic therapy resulted in greater improvements in FEV1, FVC and FEF25-75 than home i.v. antibiotic therapy in CF patients with an acute respiratory infection.